


Of Secret Identities and Other Hero Shenanigans

by et_noircir_son_coeur



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, God bless Tikki, Mlsecretsanta 2k16, Plagg is a Little Shit, but then it gets better, kinda angsty at first, lol i feel like this really sucks but at the same time i kind of like it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 06:46:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9060382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/et_noircir_son_coeur/pseuds/et_noircir_son_coeur





	

          Marinette left her home as a civilian at around six in the afternoon to transform into Ladybug and jump around several buildings, ready to meet her partner in the Eiffel Tower and fulfill their duties as the heroes of the city. The sky was already turning different shades of orange, pink, purple and blue by the time she reached the Eiffel Tower, lit up beautifully. A few gray clouds in the sky threatened to start a storm, but were too far away to worry about them just yet.

           Just as she landed on one of the sides of the majestic monument, Ladybug noticed the dark figure sitting on the opposite side. A black tail hung loosely behind it, swinging from one side to the other. Two small cat ears rested on top of the person’s head.

           Ladybug wrapped her yo-yo around one of the poles in front of her, propelling herself towards the other side of the Eiffel Tower. She smiled as she walked across the shaft Chat Noir was sitting on, excited to meet her friend.

           Ladybug swooped down next to him and balanced her legs around. “So,” she turned and smiled at him, “ready for patrol?”

           Chat Noir turned and gave her a half-smile, but his expression looked a little… dejected. It seemed as if he was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t even notice his partner’s presence until then. It worried Ladybug a little, but in just a fraction of a second the sad eyes that hid behind his fake smile returned to their happy, usual state.

           “Well of course, _Meow_ Lady!” Chat Noir exclaimed, quickly standing up. He dusted himself off and offered Ladybug a hand, who tried to hide a giggle but took it anyway. She was definitely too giddy that day.

           Ladybug realized she’d been smiling a lot. She was in a pretty good mood; after all, it wasn’t every day that she got to do a Science Project with _Adrien Agreste._

She’d savored the moment when the teacher had called their names as a team, and Adrien had turned around and waved at her with that cute smile of his on those cute lips of his on that _cute_ face of his-

           Marinette had blushed when she’d realized just how distracted she could get by just a smile from Adrien. Still, it had been quite satisfying to basically _sense_ Chloé fuming in the back of the classroom when Adrien -quite excitedly, to Marinette’s joy- asked her when and where to meet to do the project.

            “Should we start on _Rue Desaix_?” Chat cocked his head to one side as he spoke, looking for Ladybug’s eyes and pulling her out from her trance. Ladybug nodded, and so the two heroes took off, ready to spend an evening with each other doing what they did best; protecting their city.

           It had been quite a calm night; there’d been no significant altercations or problems that the heroes of Paris had to resolve. Now Ladybug and Chat Noir were standing on the Eiffel Tower, ready to leave their respective ways. Ladybug had been very chatty and happy throughout the evening, but that didn’t stop her from noticing Chat’s gloomy mood. She asked him several times if he was okay, whenever he got too lost in his own thoughts, but he didn’t respond to Ladybug’s comments.

           Chat felt guilty about not letting Ladybug know what was on his mind, but he just couldn’t bring himself to tell her that even after all the times they’d talked about the importance of keeping their identities secret, he still thought about discovering who was behind his Lady’s mask all the time.

           He had tried too hard not to think about it, but the more he tried, the less it worked. It just kept coming to his mind again and again. He yearned to know who was the girl he’d fallen in love with. What was her name, to what school did she attend, how she looked outside of the suit and mask.

           And he just _hated_ the fact that maybe he’d never know.

           Chat Noir knew that if he told Ladybug once again that he wanted them to reveal their secret identities to each other, she’d just smile apologetically and tell him the reasons why that couldn’t happen. And he knew she’d do it for the best, because it would mean protection and safety, but he also knew that Ladybug didn’t really know how much it meant to him, how much _she_ meant to him.

           All these thoughts had been troubling him far too much. At least when he was in school with his friends his mind cleared a little bit and he could forget for a while about hero identities and unrequited crushes. Which is why he was so excited to meet up with Marinette on Friday at his home for the Science Project.

           “Chat…” Ladybug’s voice pulled Chat back into reality. “Seriously, is something going on?” Chat looked up. Ladybug had one hand on her hip and the other about to unwrap her yo-yo from her waist. Her brows furrowed and she bit her lip. “You’ve been down all night.”

           Chat Noir smiled and put both his hands on his hips. “What could _paw-_ sibly be wrong, My Lady? Everything is just _purr_ -fect!” He tried thinking of good things so his smile wouldn’t look too fake- his friends, school, Nino, Alya, Marinette… “But,” Chat stepped closer to Ladybug and took her free hand in his. He bowed down and kissed it, “I’m afraid I have to leave, since I’ve got some im- _purr_ -tant hero business to take care of.”

           Ladybug laughed ( _God_ , her laugh), and finally unwrapped her yo-yo from her waist “well then, I’ll see you tomorrow, same time?”

           “Sure.” _This is it,_ Chat Noir thought as he watched Ladybug prepare to leave. He was thinking of doing something he wasn’t quite sure was the right thing to do, but he also knew he couldn’t wait any longer. He really hoped Ladybug wouldn’t notice him following her around.

           He hadn’t actually planned on following Ladybug to wherever she lived so he could see her detransform and discover her real identity, but now that he was there, watching her and still not being able to get out of his head the urge to know who she was, he couldn’t help it. He _needed_ to know her secret identity.

           Ladybug lassoed her yo-yo around a nearby tree and zipped away from Chat Noir. “Bye!” Her voice could barely be heard as she got further away from the Eiffel Tower. Chat waited a few seconds before he pulled out his baton and lengthened it enough to start jumping after Ladybug.

           Ladybug leaped around Paris’ buildings, seemingly unaware of her partner tailing her just a few meters behind. Chat was hopping silently from chimney to chimney and hiding behind them.

           Chat spent about five minutes following Ladybug through the streets of Paris, telling himself that he should stop but also not being able to. The gray clouds that had been getting nearer and nearer throughout the evening were now right on top of the heroes’ heads.

           Chat was starting to get worried about Ladybug when she began running through dark allies instead of jumping across roofs.

           At one point, Ladybug disappeared between the shadows of two tall buildings. There were no people nearby, no cars passing through. Chat continued walking cautiously along the crosswalk, concerned. He figured maybe Ladybug was detransforming now and would come out of the shadows as a civilian, and Chat would finally know who she was.

           Just as he came near the building behind which she’d disappeared, he felt something move beside him and suddenly he was on the floor.

           His face hit hard against the sidewalk and for a moment his sight blurred. “What the…” Ladybug spoke, holding both of Chat’s arms against his back, “ _Chat?_ ”

           Ladybug stood up, letting go of Chat and helping him up. “What are you doing? Were-” Ladybug stepped closer. “Were _you_ the one following me?”

           Chat rubbed his aching cheek and groaned. “I…” He looked for the words, but he couldn’t think of any explanation that wouldn’t make his Lady upset. He didn’t even look at her, he just focused on anything else that was nearby, afraid to meet Ladybug’s gaze.

           “Chat.” The hero finally looked at her, and regretted it immediately; her look was a mix of confused and stern. “Why were you following me?” Ladybug frowned and her eyebrows furrowed. Chat hoped she wasn’t as angry as she looked, because if she was, then he was done for.

           “I…” Chat sighed, then took a deep breath. He closed his eyes. He definitely didn’t want to see Ladybug’s disappointed face when she found out what he’d been up to. “I wanted to discover who- who you are.”

           Ladybug gasped. “You wanted to discover my identity!” She placed one hand on her forehead and the other on her hip. “But- _Why?”_

           Chat´s ears dropped and his shoulders sagged. He pushed back a few tears and shrugged ever so slightly. “I don’t know. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about who you are lately and about how much I’d like to know _you_. I know we talked about this, and I know it’s the best for our safety and everything, but I just _can´t stop thinking about it_. I didn’t actually _plan_ on following you, it just came to my mind when you were leaving and actually I don’t know if it would’ve been better if I had actually thought this through.

           “I’m sorry I lied to you about what was on my mind because I just couldn’t bring myself to tell you that I’ve been thinking all this when you’ve made it pretty clear that you don’t want to know _my_ identity. I’m… I’m really sorry.” Chat let out a long breath after finishing. He still didn’t dare look Ladybug in the eye, so he just kept his eyes fixed on the ground.

A few drops of water started to fall. There was a prolonged silence, filled only by the sound of water hitting asphalt, and for a minute Chat began to think maybe Ladybug had left without him noticing, but then he heard her scoff.

           “I can’t believe you did this. I can’t believe you _lied to me,_ when you could have just _talked_ to me. Why couldn’t you trust me with your feelings and thoughts, Chat? We’re supposed to be partners.” Ladybug spun on her heel and jumped up onto the nearest building. The zip of her yo-yo faded into the night as the rain started to hit harder.

           And Chat? Chat was left heartbroken under the rain. The tears he’d been trying to hold back for the past five minutes started flowing like a river and he didn’t know what to do with himself. So he just let the rain soak his blond hair for a few minutes until he realized he couldn’t get sick; he had a test the next day. And a photo shoot. And more hero responsibilities.

           He walked back home, hugging himself all the way there. He took a warm bath before going to sleep, spending about half the night rolling from one side of the bed to the other, thinking over and over about what he’d just done and what had just happened.

           And he felt like he’d truly lost everyone he had.

           Marinette woke up the morning after with a headache and a sudden urge to cry. She felt stupid. She couldn’t believe she’d actually treated _Chat Noir,_ long-time partner and friend, the way she had. And she felt like a truly horrible person for that.

           “Don’t be so hard on yourself, Marinette,” Tikki squeaked from behind her as soon as she woke up. The kwami had observed her morose behavior since the night before and was almost clueless as to what she could do. Even after thousands of years of interacting with humans, there were times when Tikki really didn’t know what needed to be done. Humans could be very complicated at times, but she always tried to do her best and kept her mind open. “You were only trying to do what’s best for the both of you.” She finally said.

           Marinette sighed as she climbed down from the bed and went to her closet. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong, and she didn’t know how to fix it.

           “I basically _scolded_ him, Tikki. That’s not what a partner’s supposed to do. I’m supposed to understand him and support him, and work together with him because we´re a _team_. And I blamed him for things that he’s definitely not at fault for, and then I just _left him there_ standing in the rain like some _jerk_.” She pulled on a shirt carelessly, not really worried about fashion that particular day.

           “Oh, Marinette…” Tikki flew over to her Miraculous holder, ready to comfort her and help her as always, but Marinette didn’t let her get too close.

           Marinette walked over to her mirror and straightened herself up. “No. I can’t wallow in my own sorrows while Chat is out there, feeling horrible for what I said to him last night. I need to fix this somehow.”

           The kwami nodded and limited herself to watching Marinette finish getting ready for the day without another word spoken.

           “You’re still thinking about it, kid?” Plagg asked. Adrien nodded. He’d just gotten out of bed and he already felt like it was time to go back.

           “I really disappointed her, Plagg.” Adrien stared blankly at the windows in front of him. “And she thinks I don’t trust her.”

           “But you do.”  Plagg pointed out.

           “Of course I do, she’s my partner. I trust her with my life.” Adrien walked over to his closet and picked out an outfit for the day.

           “Yet not with your thoughts and feelings.” The kwami flew over to Adrien’s desk, where a plate of Camembert was waiting to be eaten by the small god.

           “What? No, I trust her with everything. I didn’t tell her what I was thinking because I didn’t want to upset her.” Adrien paused and sighed. “I hope she doesn’t… leave me too. I can’t lose anyone else.”

           “Well, kid, I think you should show her that you actually _do_ trust her.” Plagg picked up the last piece of cheese left on the plate, threw it in the air and caught it with his mouth. “I do believe that’s it for our supply of cheese for the month,” the kwami commented, as his holder finished dressing and flopped onto his bed.

           Adrien groaned.

           Ladybug hopped onto the roof of one of the building’s next to the Musée du Louvre. Chat Noir silently sat down next to her. The evening had been painfully silent and uncomfortable; the two heroes had barely spoken to each other during the hour and a half that they’d met for patrol and neither mentioned anything about the events of the night before.

           “I think that’s it for the night, right?” Ladybug asked as she turned around to face her partner.

           Chat nodded in agreement without looking at her. “Yeah.” He stood up and pulled out his baton from his back. He walked to the edge of the roof, ready to jump onto the next.

           “Chat, wait.” Ladybug ran up to her partner and grabbed his arm. Her heart broke when she felt the hero flinch under her touch.

           There were two seconds of silence before Chat turned around, a half-smile with sad eyes on his face. That broke Ladybug’s heart too. He put his baton back in its place as he looked down at Ladybug.

           “I’m sorry.” Ladybug began, dropping Chat’s arm and turning her back to him. She looked up at the full moon above their heads. “I overreacted,” Chat’s eyes slowly widened with curiosity as Ladybug continued speaking, “I blamed you for things you’re not guilty of. I know you trust me, and I had no right to doubt that simply because you kept your feelings from me _one time._ ”

           Ladybug turned back around and took a step closer to Chat. She grabbed his shoulder, but didn’t look him directly in the eye, rather stared at the floor as she continued speaking.

           “I’m really sorry, and I hope this doesn’t make you think less of me, because, even if I don’t really show it, our relationship is really important to me and… and so are you.” In that moment, Ladybug looked up at her partner and cocked her head. A smile tugged at her lips and she couldn’t help it widening as Chat’s eyes softened and he returned Ladybug’s smile.

           “Of course I _fur_ -give you, My Lady.” Chat said, giving Ladybug one of his trademark cat-like grins, making Ladybug giggle. “It would be _purr_ -ty catastrophic if I decided to be mad at you.” Chat chuckled as he finished his sentence. “And I promise if I ever think something like this again, I’ll be sure to talk it out with you.”

           Both heroes let out a contented sigh as they pulled in for a hug. Neither wanted to admit that they were pushing back tears.

           After a few moments, Ladybug pulled back. “By the way, this doesn’t mean I’m changing my opinion on whether we should reveal our secret identities,” she began. Chat frowned. “But… that doesn’t mean there aren’t alternatives.”

           “Really, My Lady? And what happen to be those?”

           Ladybug grinned and started walking to the other side of the building. “I’m afraid that’s a surprise. But meet me tomorrow at four in the afternoon at the Dupain-Cheng’s bakery.” She took out her yo-yo and spun it around a little bit. “I’m assuming you like pastries? They’re on me.”

           “I love them, actually.” Chat affirmed, baton in hand as he prepared to leave.

           “And, Chat? One last thing,” Ladybug continued, lassoing her yo-yo around a nearby chimney. “Wear a disguise. We don’t want to be _spotted._ ” She gave her yo-yo a small pull and was launched forward.

Chat smiled as he watched Ladybug disappear into the night.

           Marinette searched the halls for a blond-haired boy before leaving school. The bell had just rang and she’d said her goodbyes to Alya, but only then realized that she’d completely forgotten to tell Adrien that she couldn’t meet with him for the science project later that day.

           Just as she turned a corner to climb up the stairs, she found herself crashing against someone. Typical of her, unfortunately.

           “Oh, I’m sorr-” Adrien and Marinette began at the same time, but stopped to let the other continue speaking.

           Marinette blushed. Of course she’d bumped into _Adrien._

 _“_ Oh, I had to tell you something.” Marinette continued before the situation got too awkward. “I can’t make it today to your house for the science project… something important came up. My parents, they um… need help at the bakery!” Marinette finished, another faint blush tainting her cheeks.

           “Oh, what a coincidence!” Adrien exclaimed, his voice a little too high-pitched. “I have a photo shoot this afternoon and can’t do the project today! Maybe we can reschedule for next week?” He asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

           “Yeah, sure!” Marinette assured. She smiled at him, and he returned it. Marinette was reminded of just how _much_ she liked him.

           Adrien and Marinette stood in somewhat of an uncomfortable silence before saying their goodbyes and leaving the school.

           Chat Noir walked into the Dupain-Cheng Bakery at around 4:10 in the afternoon, worried about his tardiness but relieved when he fixed on Ladybug’s absence.

           He was wearing a beige trench coat, a blue scarf, a light green beanie, red boots and sunglasses. His father would probably cry if he ever saw him in that outfit, knowing he was actually Adrien. There was a slight feeling of rebellion in that that Chat couldn’t help but enjoy.

           “Can I help you with something, monsieur?” Madame Dupain-Cheng asked from behind the counter.

           “Oh?” Chat turned to her and gave her a smile. “No, sorry, I’m just waiting for someone.”

           Sabine gave Chat a smile and went back to her work. She was just as nice as her daughter. The whole Dupain-Cheng family had an aura of friendliness that made Adrien feel fuzzy on the inside. He wished he could have that with his family.

           After a few minutes, he decided to leave the bakery and search for Ladybug outside. Just as he was walking out, Ladybug ran up to him with a ‘Hey Chat!’ and a box of pastries on her hand. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a turtleneck sweater on top of her suit. A pair of sunglasses covered her mask, same as Chat.

           Chat greeted Ladybug with the same enthusiasm and asked if the box of pastries were for them, receiving an affirmative response.

           Ladybug explained why she’d been late and proceeded to ask Chat what kind of pastries were his favorite. Chat picked one from the box, and the two heroes walked over to the park on the other side of the street. Ladybug picked a pastry too and they sat down at a bench to eat the delicious baked goods as they made some small talk.

           After a few minutes, Ladybug dusted of her gloved fingers and looked at Chat more seriously. “So I know how important it is for you to know my real identity, and I have to confess that I’d love to know yours too.” Chat’s eyes widened a little in surprise, and a little blush came to his cheeks. “But I think that it isn’t _that_ important to know each other’s names and faces, but rather to know who we actually are.” Ladybug made a small pause.

           Chat looked at her with a confused expression that prompted Ladybug to continue;

           “So maybe instead of telling each other what we’re named and what we look like we could just… talk about what we like and what we don’t. You know, our favorite colors, favorite movies, where we’d like to live, our most hated vegetable, stuff like that. Actually _get to know_ each other.” Ladybug finished and looked up at Chat, hoping that he’d agree.

           Chat smiled widely. “Oh, you’re so smart, My Lady.” He hummed thoughtfully, as if he were trying to decide something. “Very well. I like your idea. Where should we start? Hmm… I know! Favorite superhero! Well _I myself_ can’t choose between the graceful Ladybug and the _paw-_ some Chat Noir,” Chat began rolling up the sleeves of his trench coat while he spoke, getting a weird but curious look from Ladybug. “But do tell me, Bugaboo, do you find Chat Noir’s muscles appealing enough to claim that he is the _best_ superhero in Paris, _purr_ -haps even the world?” Chat stood up and flexed both arms to show off his biceps, striking a pose.

           Ladybug giggled and placed her index finger and thumb on her chin. “Hmm… not bad, but I’ve heard that Ladybug has some pretty impressive guns too.” She stood up in front of Chat and mirrored his position, rolling up her sleeves too and flexing her arms. She grinned widely when she saw Chat’s face as he realized Ladybug, in fact, had much more _impressive_ muscles than he did. He blushed and sat back down, defeated.

           “Well then, I guess graceful, intelligent, _surprisingly muscly_ Ladybug wins.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest and pouted.

           Ladybug laughed loudly, and Chat couldn’t help but follow. And he realized Ladybug was right. At least for now, names and faces weren’t the most important thing in the world. He didn’t need to know what Ladybug was as a civilian, just who _she_ was as a _person_. And for the time being, he was more than happy with that.


End file.
